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Venture Crew 276 lends a hand, enjoys day of golf

Members of Venture Crew 276 taught Pack 180 and Troop 180 Scouts about emergency preparedness. All the Scouts are pictured with the Venture Crew standing in the rear, Boy Scout Troop 180 kneeling in the middle, and Cub Scout Pack 180 along with their sibl

Posted: May. 23, 2014 2:21 pm Updated: Jun. 20, 2014 5:00 pm

Venture Crew 276 poses for a group photo before starting work on the roads during Andover Township’s Clean Communities’ Day.

Byram Venture Crew 276 recently participated in various activities to help the community, prepare for emergencies and just have fun.

Andover Township Clean Communities’ Day

On April 26, Crew 276 gathered at Hillside Park in Andover to get the necessary equipment and road assignment for Clean Communities’ day. Members then headed off to clean up the length of Goodale Road ending at the Lakeland Emergency Squad, the crew’s charter organization’s building. For safety, there were designated flaggers in the front and in the back of the line of people picking up trash so they could warn the cars that we were there. Crew members collected both trash and recycling for proper disposal. The best part of the day for many Scouts was using the metal grabber picker claw to retrieve difficult-to-reach items. The cleanup reinforced the points of the Boys Scouts’ Leave No Trace principle.

Emergency Preparedness Night

On April 30, Venture Crew 276 members gathered at the Branchville Fire Department to prepare for the night to come. Crew 276 took on the challenge teaching both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts on the topic of emergency preparedness. Every part of the Boy Scouts of America organization was present. The Venture Crew opened the event by first singing songs and performing skits. They ran different stations set up for teaching various scouting topics. These stations included basic first aid, advanced first aid, shooting safety and rock climbing knots.

Crew member Stephen Rozek, who organized the event, also arranged to have Saint Barnabas bring its fire safety house for all to tour. The fire safety house is a miniature house in a trailer. It has a kitchen, a second floor and a living room with many different items that could be dangerous fire hazards. The Scouts had to identify those hazards. This exercise was the final requirement for the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge that the Boy Scouts earned.

The Branchville Volunteer Fire Department also had members at the station who set up a demonstration of their gear and equipment. They showed the Scouts how they were used, how much it weighs and how much equipment they need. Additionally, the firefighters gave the scouts a tour of the trucks. Emergency preparedness is such a vital topic, the Boy Scouts of America has an entire Eagle Rank required Merit Badge devoted to it.

Newton Golf Center tour

On May 7, Venture Crew 276 gathered at the Newton driving range for a tour, to hit some golf balls and to have their monthly meeting.

They started with a tour; their guide and owner was Ian Kunesch. The tour was interactive, fun and informational. Kunesch showed the Scouts the equipment used to maintain the range and the jobs necessary to keep the range operational.

For some of the members, this was the first time they had ever hit a golf ball, other than miniature golf.

Crew members practice driving. Front to back are Chris Rozek, Stephen Rozek and Thomas Seltzer.